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Primary sourceBookFebruary 1848

The Communist Manifesto

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels · February 1848

The 1848 pamphlet written by Marx and Engels for the Communist League, calling workers to unite against the ruling class.

Marx co-wrote this pamphlet, making it the foundational statement of his political thought.

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Front cover of the 1848 German edition of the Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei, printed in green with a black decorative border. Title in black blackletter type, with 'Veröffentlicht im Februar 1848' and 'London' printed below.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei, London, February 1848.

About this source

What it is

This is the Manifesto of the Communist Party, a political pamphlet written by Karl Marx together with Friedrich Engels. It was commissioned by the Communist League and first printed in London in February 1848, during a wave of revolutions sweeping Europe.

Why it matters

The Manifesto set out the idea that history is driven by struggle between social classes, and that the industrial working class (the proletariat) would eventually rise against the factory-owning class (the bourgeoisie). It became one of the most influential political texts ever written, shaping socialist and communist movements worldwide and showing how Marx and Engels wanted their ideas to reach ordinary workers, not just scholars.

Look closer

  • Why do you think the authors chose dramatic opening and closing lines?
  • Who was this pamphlet written for, and how might that have shaped its language?
  • What does it leave out about how such a revolution might actually happen?

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